Bathing-belt buckle



July 9 1929. v ROSENBLUM 1 719903 BAT-KING BELT BUCKLE Filed April 17,1928 di /flu f wild in! ATTORNEYS Patented July 9, 1929.

UNITED STATES 1,719,903 PATENT OFFICE.

CHARLES ROSENBLUM, OF BROOKLYN, NEW YORK, ASSIGNOR TO KRISCHERS MANU-FACTURING COMPANY, OF BROOKLYN, NEW YORK, A CORPORATION OF NEW YORK.

BATHING-BELT BUCKLE.

Application filed April 17, i

This invention relates to improvements in bathing belt buckles of thetype which include two similar buckle members, each to be attached toone end of thebelt strap, and these members having interengaging partsby which they may be detachably connected together.

In buckles of this type, it is desirable that the connecting parts bereadily attachable and .10 detachable and when the belt is closed,theparts should grip each other lirmly to prevent accidental separation.Owing to the fact that bathing belts are not ordinarily drawn tightabout the person of the wearer, buckles as heretofore construction andincluding connecting means in the form of a simple hook and aperture,are not satisfactory as the parts of the buckle easily separate and thebelt is likely tobe detached from the bathing suit and lost. a a

The new belt buckle comprises a pair of plate members, each of which isprovided with a standard gripper bar by which it may be attached to oneendof the strap. Atthe opposite end, one member has a transverse edgeflange extending toward the back face of the plate, and from each edgeof the plate, this member has an overhanging tongue which partiallyoverlies the rear face of the plate. The other member terminates at itsfree end in a rearwardly folded spring extension between which and themain body of the plate is a transverse channel or groove.

In assembling the two parts of the buckle to close the belt, the foldedextensionisintroduced into the space between the tongues on the othermember, and the two members forced toward each other. In such movement,the flange slides over the top face of the extension and as the distancebetween the flange and the tongues is less than the normal thickness ofthe extension, the latter must be compressed until the flange rides intothe channel. The extension then expands to normal and the flange andchannel are held tightly engaged. I have found that, in buckles of thiscon: struction, continued use involving repeated compression of theextension in the assembling and separating operation results in theextension receiving a set, due possibly to fatigue in themetal, whichlessens the normal thickness of the extension. In some instances theextension may be flattened out by accident, but ineither case, theresult is that the ex- 1928. Serial N0. 270,633.

tension does not act to hold the flange rigidly engaged in the channelwhen the buckle is as sembled, and the buckle is then readily opened andloses its utility.

To overcome this difliculty and to increase the durability of thebuckle, I provide that portion of buckle that carries the extension withan abutment which prevents collapse of the extensionbeyond the necessaryextent in assembling. Preferably this abutment takes the formof a pairof posts or studs, one near each end of the extension, and of suchheight that the side edges of'the extension are bent out of the plane ofthe remainder of the extension, as the extension is forcedginto thespace between the tongues. With this arrangement the extension issubjected to a combined bending and collapsing action during assemblyand the metal is better able to withstand repeated assembling andseparation. Accidental injury to the extension destroying the usefulnessof the buckle is also prevented.

For abetter understanding ofthe invention reference may be had to theaccompanying drawing in which Figure 1 is a front face view of thebuckle assembled;

Figure 2 is a ure 1;

Figure 3 is a sectional view on the line 3--3 of Figure 2;

Figures 4: and 5 are sectional views of the individual members of thebuckle;

Figure 6 is a sectional View illustrating the rear face view similar toFigmanner of assembly, and

Figure 7 is a sectional view on the line 7-7 of Fi ure 6.

Re erring to the drawings, the buckle is shown as comprising a pair ofsimilar plate members 10 and 11, of substantially rec tangular form,having a width dependent on the width of the belt strap 12, and havingfiat surfaces which may be suitably ornamented ifdesired. Each member isprovided with a standard gripper bar 13 mounted in tongues 14: formed atthe edge of the member in the usual way.

Although the plate members 10 and 11 are of the same outward appearancewhen assembled, they differ in construction. The member 10 terminates atits free end in a transverse rearward edge flange 15 and from each edgeof the plate at one side of the flange extends a tongue 16 having aportion which overlies the rear face of the plate and extends parallelto it. The overhanging portions of the tongues together with the rearface of the plate definea recess;

The member 11is provided. near its. free end with a transverse groove orchannel 17 and beyond this channel the member terminates in a reverselyfolded leaf extension 18, which extends across the plate from one'sideedge to the other. The normal distance between the outer faces of thetwo folds of the extensionis slightly greater than the space between thetongues 16 and the edge of the flange 15. l 7

f In assembling the parts as illustrated in Figurefl, the folded edge'ofthe extension is passed beneath the flange on the member 10 and theextension forced into the recess. By reason of the sizes of the parts,the extension cannot be moved freely into the recess, but force isrequired to'cause a partial collapse or compression of the two foldsofthe extension between the flange and the tongues. As the twoplatevmmbersare moved toward each other, the engagementof the extension withtheflangeagainstone face and the tongues against the other op erates toresist the assembling movement, until the flange enters the recess 17WllGIltllBl parts are locked together. Separation .ofthe parts issimilarly resisted and cannot occur accidentally since theextea sionmust be compressed before it can be movedclear of the recess;

.In order to prevent accidental flattening of the extension which wouldrender the fastening, means uesless, and also to increase-the life ofthe buckle, I provide the extension with an .abutmentwhich mayconveniently take the form of a pair of posts 19, struck'from onefoldand extending toward the other in such manner as to limit the extentto which the two I folds maybe compressed or moved toward each other. Preferably these postsare placed one near each end of the extension asshown in Figure 2,and the posts have a height such that they preventthemainbody of the extension from being compressed as much as i snecessary to permititto enter the tongues. Asa result in. the assemblingoperation, each edge of the free portion. of theextension as indicatedat 20, is bent slightly out oftheplane of the main body thereof by theco-operation of the I-tongueslG andthe posts 19 which act as theabutment. The extension. is therefore subected both to a flattening andbending action b during assembling and separationof the two parts of thebuckle and the bending occurs near each-.edge-of: the free portion oftheextension and about an axis at an angle to the line of'fol-dingrContinued flattening and expajnsion in the absence of the abutment would7 take placealongthe line of folding of the two 1 parts of theextensionand as the metal has been subjected to strain along the lineduring the folding operation it is not able to withof the extension, andthe life of the buckle may therefore be relatively short, depending onthe amount of use. lVith the new buckle, the life is greatly prolongedand the two parts of the buckle when assembled are firmly engaged andcan only be separated by positive and intentional action on the part ofthe wearer.

I claim:

1. A belt buckle comprising a pair of plate members each of which isadapted to be attached to one end of the belt, a flange on the firstplate adapted to be introduced into a channel in the second for lockingthe plates together, an extension from the channelled plate folded uponitself to provide two opposed separated portions, a pair of tonguesformed on the first plate adjacent the flange adapted to receive theextension between them and the body of said plate, said tongues andplate cooperating to force the portions of the extension together as theextension enters between said tongues and body, and a pair of posts onone portion of said extension projecting toward and engageable with theother portion when the extension is compressed, said posts preventingthe two portions from being compressed in the vicinity of the posts tothe extent necessary to permit the extension being introduced betweenthe tongues and the body of said plate, whereby the free end portion ofthe extension is flexed about each post-as an axis in the assemblingoperation.

2. A belt buckle comprisin a pair of plate members each of which isapted to be attached to one end of the belt, a flange on the first plateadapted to be introduced into a channel in the second for locking theplates together, an extension from the channelled plate folded uponitself to provide two opposed separated portions, a pair of tonguesformed on the first plate adjacent the flange tween said tongues andbody, and a pair of posts extending from one portion of the extensiontoward the other and cngagcable therewith, each post lying outside thearea of the extension engaged by a tongue and preventing the twoportions of the extension from eing compressed in the vicinity of theposts to the extent necessary to permit the extension being introducedbetween the tongues and the body of the plate, whereby one portion ofthe extension is flexed about each post as 1 an axis in the assemblingoperation.

3. A belt buckle comprising a pair of plate members each of which isadapted to be attached to one end of the belt, a flange on the firstplate, a channel on the second plate adapted to receive the flange, anextension from the second plate over which the flange moves to enter thechannel, this extension being folded back upon itself to provide twoopposed di vergent portions, a pair of overhanging tongues on the firstplate between which and the body of said plate the extension is receivedas the flange approaches the channel, the said tongues and body causinga flattening of the extension during which the two portions thereofapproach each other, and a post extending from one face of one portionof the extension near each edge thereof toward the other portion andengageable therewith,

each post engaging said other portion outside the areas thereof engagedby said tongues in the assembling operation and preventing the twoportions of the extension from being compressed in the vicinity of theposts to the ex tent necessary to permit the extension being introducedbetween the tongues and the body of the plate, whereby one portion ofthe extension is flexed about each post as an axis in the assemblingoperation.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature.

CHARLES ROSENBLUM.

